MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 123 



this very man had, on his way home, caught the 

 galloway of poor Tommy Cook the shoemaker, which 

 had entered through a gap in the hedge into his 

 field, and had driven it before him into the pinfold. 

 This was sufficient ; this was the spark which 

 kindled up and increased to a blaze, which my 

 father could not muster temper enough to keep 

 down. Next morning, he set off to the smith's 

 shop, and sent for this choleric, purse-proud man, 

 to whom, in rude terms, he opened out upon his 

 hypocrisy, and at length obliged him to release 

 the galloway from its hungry imprisonment. He 

 recommended him to make his peace with the poor 

 but honest and respected man, and to go no more 

 to church, nor to take the Sacrament, till a change 

 had taken place in his mind. He also told him 

 that he ought that very night, before he slept, to 

 sit down on his bare knees, and implore forgive- 

 ness of the God he had offended. 



The last transaction I shall mention, on this 

 subject, and which bore a more serious com- 

 plexion than the foregoing, happened when I 

 was an apprentice. A pitman, George Parkin, 

 who had long wrought in the colliery, was highly 

 valued by my father for his industry, sobriety, and 

 honesty. He would not do anything unfairly him- 

 self in working the coal in the boards, nor suffer 

 others to do so. For this conduct he became 

 deservedly a great favourite, so much so that one 

 of the old lodges had been comfortably fitted up 

 for him and his family to live in rent free ; and a 

 garth, besides, was taken off the common for his 

 use. For these he often expressed himself so 

 highly pleased that he used to say, he was happier 

 than a prince. My father, for many years, ever, 



